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New regulatory mechanisms of polystyrene nanoplastics on the ecological risk of zinc: Cellular oxidative injury and molecular toxicity mechanisms in soil sentinel organisms (Eisenia fetida)
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Researchers investigated how nanoplastics and zinc interact to affect earthworm cells and a key antioxidant defense enzyme. While nanoplastics alone had minimal effect, combining them with zinc dramatically increased cell death beyond what zinc caused on its own, and molecular modeling showed nanoplastics can physically bind to and potentially block the antioxidant enzyme. The findings suggest that nanoplastics may worsen the toxicity of heavy metals in soil by interfering with organisms' natural defense mechanisms.
Nanoplastics (NPs) and zinc (Zn), both widespread in soil environments, present considerable risks to soil biota. While NPs persist environmentally and act as vectors for heavy metals like Zn, their combined toxicity, especially in soil invertebrates, remains poorly understood. This study evaluates the individual and combined effects of Zn and NPs on earthworm coelomocytes and explores their interactions with Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant enzyme. Molecular docking revealed that NPs bind near the active site of SOD through π-cation interactions with lysine residues, further stabilized by neighboring hydrophobic amino acids. Viability assays indicated that NPs alone (20 mg/L) had negligible impact (94.54 %, p > 0.05), Zn alone (300 mg/L) reduced viability to 80.02 %, while co-exposure reduced it further to 73.16 %. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were elevated to 186 % and 173 % under co-exposure, alongside greater antioxidant enzyme disruption, point to synergistic toxicity. Dynamic light scattering and zeta potential (From -13 to -7 mV) analyses revealed larger particle sizes in the combined system, indicative of enhanced protein interactions. Conformational changes in SOD, such as α-helix loss and altered fluorescence, further support structural disruption. These findings demonstrate that co-exposure to NPs and Zn intensifies cellular and protein-level toxicity via integrated physical and biochemical mechanisms, providing critical insight into the ecological risks posed by such co-contaminants in soil environments.
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The combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with nickel on oxidative stress and related toxic effects to earthworms from individual and cellular perspectives
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Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and nickel on earthworms at both the individual and cellular levels. They found that nanoplastics amplified the harmful effects of nickel by increasing oxidative stress, reducing cell viability, and disrupting the balance between protective and damaging molecules in cells. The findings suggest that nanoplastics can worsen the toxicity of heavy metals already present in contaminated soils.
Environmental relevant concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics and lead co-exposure triggered cellular cytotoxicity responses and underlying mechanisms in Eisenia fetida
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Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics and lead, a toxic heavy metal, interact when earthworm immune cells are exposed to both simultaneously at environmentally realistic concentrations. The combined exposure caused more severe cell damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation than either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that nanoplastics can increase the harmful effects of heavy metals on soil organisms, raising concerns about the real-world impact of mixed contaminant exposure.
Compound effect and mechanism of oxidative damage induced by nanoplastics and benzo [a] pyrene
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Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics and a common environmental pollutant called benzo[a]pyrene work together to cause oxidative damage in earthworm cells. They found that the two contaminants had a synergistic toxic effect, with combined exposure producing significantly higher levels of cell-damaging reactive oxygen species than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that nanoplastics may enhance the harmful effects of other soil pollutants by altering how they interact with living cells.
Redefining the synergistic toxicity of nano-plastics and cadmium in earthworm coelomocytes: the mechanism of α-amylase molecular docking orientation and energy crisis
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Researchers exposed earthworm immune cells (coelomocytes) to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with the heavy metal cadmium, finding that nanoplastics act as carriers that amplify cadmium uptake and worsen oxidative stress, energy metabolism disruption, and enzyme damage beyond what cadmium causes alone.
Amplification of benzo[a]pyrene toxicity persistence in earthworms by polystyrene nanoplastics: From organismal health to molecular responses
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This study found that nanoplastics can make a common cancer-causing pollutant (benzo[a]pyrene) more persistent and toxic in soil. Earthworms exposed to the pollutant carried on nanoplastics showed greater oxidative damage than those exposed to the pollutant alone. This matters because nanoplastics in the environment may act as carriers that amplify the harmful effects of other toxic chemicals.
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